Thursday 23 November 2006

The new grebes

Spotted pardalotes (Pardalotus punctatus) are the new grebes. One of these stunning little birds landed on a branch a couple of metres from me. Before I could get over my admiration, it disappeared into its nest, where it stayed for longer than my patience. You'll just have to take my word.

The best location in the world for seeing pardalotes is Inala on Bruny Island*. You can see three out of four species on the property, including the rare Tasmania endemic, the forty-spotted pardalote (P. quadragintus). Even I managed to tick them all off the list (with host Tonia's help), so what are you waiting for?

For pictures of a spotted pardalote rather than its tunnel in a sand bank, check out these posts by Duncan at Ben Cruachan and Trevor at Trevor's Birding.

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*NOTE: Highly biased perception.